Barça coach Valverde: Dembele's injury is unexpected and unfortunate

Barça coach Valverde: Dembele's injury is unexpected and unfortunate

Ousmane Dembélé sufrió una nueva lesión a los 25 minutos del encuentro ante el Borussia Dortmund. El francés, desolado, se retiró entre lágrimas / | MEDIAPRO

Ernesto Valverde says it's a blow to be without the France forward for 10 weeks

Ernesto Valverde is devastated to have lost Ousmane Dembele for 10 weeks after the forward was diagnosed with a thigh problem on Friday. 

Barça confirmed the France international will be out for over two weeks and he will receive treatment in Qatar during that time. 

Valverde's disappointed as Dembele had been working hard and training well, but he once again finds himself on the sidelines. It's the ninth time he's been injured since he joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2017. 

"I've spoken with him, he's calmer (than he was on Wednesday) now," the Barça coach said in a press conference. "After the game, he was really affected by what had happened.

"It's a significant loss for us, because of the player he is and because of how long he will be out. We will replace him with the kids from the B team, who've responded well when they've played this season.

"But Dembele was in a good moment, it was unexpected and unfortunate. Everything has its roots in the first injury he had. When he arrived here, he was really young with huge potential. He had to get used to how we work here and has been working on certain issues. Now he's better, calmer. He's training well and it's a big setback." 

Pie de foto | AUTOR FOTO

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